5. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for 15 minutes until cooked through.

6. Taste the sauce and season according to your personal taste.

7. Serve with tagliatelle or spaghetti and sprinkle with chopped parsley and a dusting of smoked paprika.

I only added ¼ of the Knorr Mixed Chillies Flavour Pot as I don’t like really hot and spicy foods, and this provided more than enough heat for me. These Flavour Pots are potent and I would recommend adding less than you think you need and adjusting as necessary with more if it’s not hot enough.

In 1989, just after we got married, I bought a book on Curries byPat Chapman from Sainsbury’s. Despite now owning several other curry recipe books, it’s still our ‘go to’ book for all things spicy! We’ve been blending the spices into curry powder and cooking it out in to a curry paste ever since then. It’s been tried and tested by many a guest to our house over the years, and as I used almost the last of my current batch making mychicken curry for dinner last night, I had to make some more today. The benefit of making it today in the warm, dry weather, meant that I could cook it outdoors on my Cadac barbeque in the paella pan; sharing the amazing aroma with my neighbours and leaving my house smelling fragrant and not spicy for the next few days!

It’s incredibly simple to do, so here it is in it’s entirety. All teaspoon measurements are ROUNDED.

12tsp Ground Coriander

6tsp Ground Cumin

5tsp Gram flour

5tsp Garlic powder

4tsp Fenugreek seeds

4tsp Paprika*

4tsp Turmeric

4tsp Garam Masala

1tsp Asafoetida

1tsp Ground Ginger

1tsp Chilli powder*

1tsp Mustard powder*

1tsp White ground Pepper

250ml Cider vinegar

250ml Vegetable oil

1. Measure all your ingredients into a large bowl.

2. Pour in your cider vinegar and enough cold water to make a paste that ‘dollops’ off the spoon without being too runny.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok (I used my paella pan on my Cadac).

4. Add the curry paste (be careful as it’ll spit initially due to the water content).

5. Cook for about 15 minutes until the water has evaporated. You’ll know it’s cooked as when you leave it for a short while, the oil will rise to the surface of the paste.

6. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then decant into sterilised jars.

7. Heat a little more oil and pour over the top of the curry paste to prevent air getting to it.

8. Seal the jars and store in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks before using.

The recipe above is for a mild curry paste, however if you increase the quantities of Paprika, Chiili and Mustard you can increase the heat to your own preference. Similarly, if you don’t have all the ingredients listed above, it’s fine to leave one or two of the smaller quantities out.

1. Peel your potatoes and cut them into bite sized pieces. (oops! forgot to photograph them). Place them in cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Slice your onions.

3. Crush your garlic.

4. Gently fry your sausages until browned all round, remove and set aside.

5. Add a little oil into the pan that you cooked your sausages in and fry for 4-5 minutes until starting to become transparent. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.

6. Drain your potatoes and add them to the onions and garlic with the paprika.

7. Stir to coat well and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

8. Cut each sausage into 3 diagonally (only because it makes them look nicer!) and then add them to the pan. Season and mix well.

9. Pour the potato and sausage mixture into an ovenproof dish and pour the gravy over the top. Mix gently to coat.

10. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes until the sausages are cooked through.

11. Serve with steamed carrots or broccolli.

Enjoy, and if you do follow my recipe and like the result, please return and leave me a comment.